


Torpor

by Sebastina_Michaelis



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-05-14 13:31:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19274308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sebastina_Michaelis/pseuds/Sebastina_Michaelis
Summary: Sometimes the simplest things can spiral out of control, and serve as a catalyst for extreme change. Nathalie finds herself caught in the middle of such a perfect storm after she discovers Adrien's secret and is torn between wanting to keep his trust or her loyalty to Gabriel.From there things only get more complicated as Gabriel sues her rising incertantly to his advantage and akumatizes her. With Cat Noir now out of the picture, it's a race against time to stop Gabriel from getting his hands on Ladybug's and the rest of the miraculous!





	1. Chapter One

Concern rises in you as you check the time and glance at the doorway again.  _Is Adrien skipping dinner again?_

Occasionally there would be times he would get wrapped up in his studies, but lately it felt like every day he was skipping meals. While he was a good student, you would hardly consider him this diligent.

One thing was certain, Adrien couldn't keep going on like this. If there was something wrong, surely there was something you could do to help. You wanted to try at the very least. You would have hated to tell Gabriel Adrien had stopped eating.

You finish answering a few emails before pushing away from your desk. Part of you had hoped Adrien would have come down in that time, but that hadn't been the case.

The house felt eerily still as you made your way up the stairs. Faint piano music grew louder as you approached Adrien's room. For a moment you were hoping that he had merely gotten wrapped up in practicing, but that was hardly the case.

You knock on the door a few times. The music doesn't stop, and there are no signs of movement from within. You slowly open the door and poke your head inside, only to find the window open, and Adrien's phone sitting in the speaker dock.  _No, not again._

This wouldn't be the last time Adrien had snuck out, but at this hour? What was he thinking?

You glance into the hall before closing the door back. It was hard to shake the feeling you were being watched in times like this. You take his phone off the dock and pause the music. There were no new notifications that would indicate where he had gone.  _Great. Just. Great._

A frustrated sigh escapes you. There was no way you'd be able to slip off, find him, and bring him back without Gabriel noticing. Assuming you even found him.

Against your better judgment, you return Adrien's phone to where you had found it. Pretending you hadn't noticed and hoping he came back on his own unscathed would be best for now. For both of your sakes' you'd need to tell him to stop doing this. You could hardly condone him going against his father's wishes, but at least you knew he was safe and not caught up in the cross fire between Ladybug, Cat Noir, and the latest akumatized person in the city.

The window slamming shut stopped you from opening the door again. You flinch and turn sharply. You hardly had time to process the black clad figure crouched on the floor before you were blinded by flash of green light and Adrien was in his place.

It felt like the walls were closing in on you. Your back being pressed against the door was the only thing that kept you remotely ground.  _Adrien is... Cat Noir?_

The more you repeated it to yourself the less sense it made. Your stomach tied itself in knots. Never in your wildest dreams would you have considered this a possible outcome. To think all this time Adrien had been one of the people standing in your way. This changed everything and yet, nothing at the same time. You found it hard to believe he would change his tune if he found out Gabriel was the one behind all of this. Things were now more complicated and that much simpler on the same token.

“N-Nathalie, I can explain,” Adrien's eyes were wide with shock. You were positive nothing he could say would really get him out of this. No sooner had the words come out did he realize this and backtracked slightly. “Please don't tell my father.”

Even if Adrien said that, not saying something wasn't an option. It would have been one thing if he had been sneaking out to spend time with his friends but this... As much as you wanted to support Adrien you were out of your depth here.

“I have to do this. There isn't anyone else who can help Ladybug keep Paris safe.”

“That seems like a bit of a stretch. The others seem just as capable.”

“But they aren't me! Besides, you can't just keep me locked away in my room forever.”

“That isn't my call to make, and I can't promise you anything if he discovers your missing either. Go eat your dinner, I'm sure it's getting cold.”

“Nathalie, wait.”

You slip into the hall and slowly head back downstairs to your desk. Adrien whips his door back open shortly after, but doesn't chase after you the way you thought he would.  _This is all too much._

As much as this scenario felt like a horrible dream, the longer you sat there and stared at your cluttered inbox, the more real it started to feel. What's more, the longer you sat there the more you entertained the idea of not telling Gabriel. The thought of keeping something like this from him made your stomach churn. You didn't want to imagine what would happen if he found out you were keeping this from him.

The only reason this felt like a choice is you knew Gabriel wouldn't be patient with this. He would want to remove Adrien from harm's way as quickly as possible. Not to mention Adrien could quickly put two and two together if he was suddenly being targeted all the time, or had his miraculous taken.

In a best case scenario Gabriel could try to reason with Adrien, but how that conversation would go was anyone's guess. It was safe to assume that Adrien would want Emile back as much as Gabriel, but you didn't see Adrien wanting this to be the way to go about things.

Adrien slowly plods down the stairs. He lingered in the foyer and locked eyes with you but didn't say anything further. You glance away and make it look like you were doing something.

Moving around everything on your desk brought you a small amount of comfort. Anything else to focus on was a blessing, but as the end of the day was rapidly approaching, there weren't many menial tasks.

Adrien locked eyes with you again as he wandered back to his room. Fatigue was starting to creep over you. You wanted nothing more than to rid yourself of this situation with the smallest headache. The more you thought yourself in circles the more hopeless this whole thing felt. Telling Gabriel felt like the natural course of action, but in this case doing nothing was still picking a side.  _Once, just once can't I have a normal day?_

 


	2. Chapter 2

Irritation and exhaustion weighed on you when a call with a vendor finally came to an end. Every minute of the hours long call felt like it had been tripled in length. It certainly didn't help that Adrien had an uncanny sense for when you were on hold. He'd sidle up to your desk and linger there, looking every bit as distraught as he had earlier while asking you some benign question. You couldn't even remember what they all were, just that they were almost as annoying as some intern not understanding what you were ordering when it had been the same practically since you started working for Gabriel.

You rub your face with your hands and lean back in your chair. In the moment you wanted nothing more than to get home and take a bath with a glass of wine. The silence and darkness that had crept over the foyer was oppressive. You didn't think you would ever get used to it. The thick walls combined with the almost clinical décor made it easy to believe you were the only one here. And not having seen nor heard from Gabriel all evening didn't help that.

It wasn't uncommon for him to be frustrated or upset after one of his villains failed their jobs, but he would at least make himself known to eat. Assuming he hadn't fallen asleep at his desk again. Honestly, you wished he'd take better care of himself. You understood the value of hard work, but there was also a point where you needed to consider your own well being too.

You glance towards his closed office door. Even if he wasn't sleeping and was doing something else, you'd consider this the perfect chance to slip off. Tomorrow you could decide what to do about this once and for all.

You nod to yourself and straighten your work area one last time for the day.

A jolt of energy flows through you, but it faded as quickly as it had come. Your exhaustion felt amplified to the point you felt the need to sit down again. “Torpor, care to lend me a hand after a rough day?”

Time stretched beyond the few moments you sat there. You briefly considered saying no. But then again, you could kill two birds with one stone. If you got Adrien's ring in one go, he wouldn't be able to be upset immediately, and Gabriel probably wouldn't press the issue in the moment. And if you didn't the ball was no longer in your court, and you could claim you hadn't been yourself. “If you insist.”

A familiar surge of power flows through you. But this time there was something off about it. It was hard to focus too much on one thing. Thoughts that idly drifted by were nothing more that a distant memory almost as soon as they formed. You couldn't say you liked this dreamy feeling that overcame you, but, there was hardly any turning back now.

You vault over your desk and land slightly off center to an oversized clock face. _This will take some getting used to._ You take a moment to adjust yourself. “You know, sir, there's something I think you should know about Adrien.”

Gabriel sighs. “Surely it can't be anything of pressing importance.”

“Quite the opposite. He's Cat Noir.”

The resulting silence was more than a little surprising. Gabriel usually took things in stride. You never thought something like this would be enough to reduce him to silence. Although he was taking this far better than you had anticipated. “That's absurd. If this is some kind of-”

“But I saw it with my own two eyes. Do you think I would lie about such a thing.”

Gabriel huffs. You could practically feel him thinking himself in circles. Although you could feel the gears in his head spinning as he tried to not only wrap his head around this, but come up with a solid plan. But, unless he planned on directly intervening, you already had one, and Adrien was the star of it all.

You crack open Adrien's bedroom door to find him already sound asleep.  _Perfect. Now he can't put up a fight._ You reach into your pocket and pull out a handful of sand. “Wait what are you doing!?”

Gabriel realized what you were doing and tried to stop you, but it was too little too late. The sand falls from your hand onto his face as you were forced back from his bed. “You aren't putting my son in harms way.” “Do you really think Ladybug would be able to turn on him. Besides now she has to fight an uphill battle without Cat Noir.”

Adrien sits up in his bed and glances around. His lifeless eyes fell on you while he waited for an order. “Time to transform, we have work to do.”

He quite literally rolls out of bed, and sways back and forth on his feet. Gabriel's abrupt silence unsettled you, but if this hadn't convinced him, nothing would. “Claws out.”

A flash of green pierces through the darkness of the room. When you eyes adjusted again, Cat Noir was standing in Adrien's place, looking just as lost as before. “Be careful.”

“Aren't I always?” Gabriel didn't respond, but you figured it was for the best. You could sense his underlying worry. It was understandable, but misguided. Adrien had been doing this for more than a year now. And you didn't actually plan on putting him in harms way. All you needed was for him to blow his Cataclysm and hand over his Miraculous.

“Come along now, we need to go find Ladybug.”

“Ladybug...” He plops himself down on the edge of your clock face. You shift back to balance it out again, before throwing open the window and taking to the streets of Paris with him in tow.  _Onward to phase two._  

 


	3. Chapter 3

You found the monotone voice chanting for ladybug haunting. Anyone who had been wandering the streets were now your minions. The stage had been set in these lamp lit streets, now all that was waiting for Ladybug to take the bait.

You glanced down at Adrien every so often, unnerved by how he just sat there. This was the best course of action. You knew that; but it didn't stop guilt from stabbing into you each time you checked up on him. Adrien had always been so full of life, even after all of this was said and done, you didn't think you would ever forget this.

Cat Noir's staff started ringing. After a moments consideration, you decide against making him answer it. If Ladybug went to retrieve another miraculous' you needed to be able to try and follow her while she did it.

A silence ripples across an intersection as Ladybug swings into view. “Stop this now!” Her eyes lock onto Cat Noir. “What did you do to Cat Noir?”

You shrug. “Nothing really. He simply belongs to me now.” Ladybug's brow furrows as you command Cat Noir to stand. The bystanders shuffle closer. “Of course, I could be persuaded to let him go if you give me your miraculous.”

“Not gonna happen.”

Ladybug hurls her yo-yo towards you. You dodge to the side and shake your head to yourself. “Seems we'll have to do this the hard way then. Get her Miraculous, all of you!”

Cat Noir launches himself off the clock face towards Ladybug. She dodges his rather haphazard attack as the rest of your minions surge to life and shuffle towards Ladybug. It was clear, Cat Noir wasn't the only one she was pulling her punches with.

Ladybug stumbles back into the wall of people and cries out when they start grabbing at her. She narrowly swings herself out as the wave of people threaten to crash down on her. “Cat Noir, you have to snap out of this!”

Cat Noir slowly turns. “Get...Ladybug.” He launches himself towards Ladybug and she swings out of the way. The leap from lamp post to lamp post while the rest surge after them. The duo disappear to the rooftops. While Cat Noir wasn't really in any position to effectively chase after Ladybug, following in her general direction was good enough.

When he finally lost sight of her, Cat Noir landed in the middle of a barren street, gently swaying side to side. You land beside him. “That's enough for now. Come back.”

Cat Noir slowly turns around and shuffles back to you. You caught some movement in the distance, and once he had plopped back down on the clock face once more you rose above the rooftops and went to survey the area.

A girl in a white shirt was pointedly making her way down the streets, dodging your minions who would call for Ladybug hen she got too close. She trips over the curb and almost face plants into the sidewalk before recovering and ducking into an apartment building.

[I] Interesting.

You make a mental note of where the building was as she reemerges. You continue to follow her, but lose the trail after she ducks into an alley. There was something familiar about her, but it was hard to put a finger on quite what. At the very least, it was odd that she was the only one wandering around like this. You'd be willing to be anything that you had just spotted Ladybug and where the other miraculous' were being held.

As tempted as you were to try and find them again, you didn't want to stray too far from home. There was still time for things to south depending on how much backup Ladybug had decided to call in.

Your zombies continued to shuffle around the streets as you made a tactical retreat. But it didn't take long for Ladybug and Rena Rouge to block your path. “Give us back Cat Noir or else.”

You sigh and fold your arms over your chest. You had to give her credit for being persistent. And fast. “I'll take or else. Get Ladybug.”

Ladybug's eyes widen and she presses her back against Rena's as the mob closes in around them. Since fighting them head on wasn't really an option, they had no choice but to take evasive actions. The mob ripples with each step they take, swaying towards their targets. “Get to higher ground!”

They take to the rooftops nearby, but you refuse to follow them, opting to remain close to the ground where you could have aid from your minions. “How much longer are we going to go on like this?”

Their silence set you on edge. You could only brace yourself for what would come next so much. The mod weakly threw itself at the wall to the building they were on top of, until Ladybug launched herself off of the roof and made a break for it down the street. The mob starts to follow but you were hesitant to do the same.  _Where's Rena?_ “Cat Noir, use your cataclysm on Ladybug.”

Cat Noir stands, balancing himself on the edge of the clock while calling out his special attack before launching himself into the fray of it all.

The pair launch themselves off the roof and you narrowly avoid Rena landing on your clock, but not Ladybug's yo-yo. The thick cord winds itself around you and you're forced off the clock face.

You hit the ground hard. Your clock clatters to the street behind you. A few stragglers from the swam throw themselves at Ladybug, but the few bystanders hardly posed a threat to her.

You rise to a standing position when Ladybug released you from her grip. You reach into your pocket as Rena launches herself at you, and blow sand into her face. You leap backwards, rising into the ground again. Rena lands heavily before you, coughing and rubbing her eyes. “Ugh, what was...that...”

She trails off. The light drains from her eyes. Ladybug grabs her shoulders and frantically shakes her. “Rena Rouge, snap out of it.”

“Lady...bug.”

“Don't just stand there, get her miraculous.”

Cat Noir leads the charge as the mob returns. Rena shoves Ladybug back and she makes solid contact with the lamppost. Several of your minions latch onto her, as you close the gap between you. You'd be lying if you said you had expected things to be this easy. You had only anticipated walking out of this whole thing with one miraculous, not two.

Excitement courses through you. Ladybug's struggling grows more desperate as Rena Rough and Cat Noir edge closer to her. You reach into your pocket, as Ladybug rips one of her hands free and swings herself out of your range.

The mob swarms to the opposite side of the street. Ladybug keeps swinging away until she was perched on a rooftop again. “This isn't over yet, Torpor. Lucky Charm!”

She throws her yo-yo up and a gas mask falls from it.  _Great._ Ladybug glances around, visibly confused. “Rena, after Ladybug, Cat Noir, you're with me.”

Rena haphazardly launches herself at Ladybug, while Cat Noir climbs back onto your clock. While Ladybug planned her next move you would do the same, and it started with getting the Cat Ring.

The front door being thrown open echoed through the house. The feeling of isolation from before felt amplified even as Gabriel emerged from his study. “Perfect timing, I have something for you.”

You set Adrien on the floor and pull off his ring, before tossing it to Gabriel. He seemed oddly at peace as he cradled the piece of metal in his hands. “We're so close, I can feel it.”

“I'll need you to play along for now.”

Gabriel pointedly adjusts his glasses as something crashes to the ground outside. “Of course.” He tucks the miraculous into his pocket, and you blow a handful of sand into his face. The front door bursts open. Cat Noir, slowly transforming back into Adrien, shuffles towards Ladybug as she asserts herself into the middle of the room. She glances around, spinning her yo-yo. “You're mine now, Topor!”

“Is that so?' Ladybug nimbly leaps to the side as Cat Noir lunges for her. Her eyes widen and the yo-yo goes limp. She retreats shaking her head to herself in disbelief. “No, no, what did you do to Cat Noir? Give me back his miraculous!”

You shrug animatedly, proving to Ladybug that you didn't actually have it anymore. “It's out of my hands. I already stashed it somewhere safe for Hawkmoth on the way over here.”

A bittersweet feeling washed over you as Gabriel shuffled around trying to get Ladybug. It was jut a pity Rena Rouge had lost her, you could use a pair of extra hands. “Cat Noir, that's enough.” He shuffles to a stop and plops down on the floor, more Adrien that Cat Noir at this point. Ladybug retreats back into the dining room and you charge after her. She pulls on her gas mask and flings a chair at you. You narrowly manage to dodge it, but the strange angle resulted in you dumping yourself onto the floor anyway. Pain blossoms in the back of your head as you smack it against the wall. Ladybug rips a painting off the wall and charges at you. You struggle to your feet, narrowly dodging it. “Come now, is that any way to treat something that isn't yours.”

Ladybug glares at you, not responding to your taunts as she launches herself at you again. She throws her yo-yo around the room as you lap around the dining room table. It became increasingly hard to dodge the string let along see until eventually you gave. Ladybug launches herself at your back and throws the picture over you. You make a show of trying to wriggle out of it, but you felt there was nothing left to force out here. Ladybug retrieves her yo-yo.

The sound of breaking glass echoes around the room and an akuma flies out of your clock. Ladybug rips off her mask and tosses it towards the ceiling. You find yourself freed from the painting, as the power you had felt coursing through you fades. Although the headache you felt forming earlier had decided to rear it's ugly head. You use the cabinet nearby to pull yourself up, and rub your temples. Ladybug was lingering in the doorway between the dining room and foyer.

“Nathalie! What's going on?”

You straighten your blazer and Ladybug enters the foyer, taking to explaining things before you could open your mouth. “She was akumatized but we managed to save her.”

You adjust your glasses, Gabriel stoops over as Adrin blinks into wakefulness. He glances around, and starts to ask where he was before he locks eyes with Ladybug. She manages a smile, but the usual sense of victory wasn't there. “Well, it's late, I'll show myself out. Sleep well.”

Ladybug slips outside. You all exchange knowing glances before Adrien quickly excuses himself, leaving you alone with Gabriel.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long >< was gonna update when I came back from vacation but couldn't get into the flow of it again .-.

The faint click of Adrien's door closing marked the end of tonight's events. For the first time in awhile, Gabriel seemed genuinely happy, but the way he seemed to be looking through you left a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. Gabriel waves you off and starts heading back towards his study. “That will be all for tonight Nathalie. You did well.” He pauses in the door frame and glances back at you, as if it was nothing more than an afterthought. “Why don't you take the morning off? You deserve it.”

“Alright, thank you sir. Good night.” After the door closed you sigh into the emptiness.

The process of shutting everything down for the night and clocking out felt longer than it usually did. You tried to find some comfort in the familiar routine, but it was hard. You couldn't get Adrien's shocked and confused face out of your head. He had trusted you with this, and in the end you couldn't keep your promise to him. It was foolish to even think things would sort themselves out,but you hated always being stuck between Gabriel and Adrien. You didn't _want_ to have to constantly choose between both of them.

When the iron security gate closed behind you, it felt like a small weight had been lifted from your shoulders. The streets were filled with people recovering themselves or wandering towards home. You did your best to avoid the bulk of them. There was still time before the next train, but you didn't want to risk missing it. Standing on the platform for the next half and hour wasn't how you envisioned the rest of your night going.

The cool night air grew more stale and warmer as you descended below ground. The harsh florescent lights hurt your eyes. The headache that had been forming earlier reared it's ugly head again.

You lean against one of the platform pillars while pulling your hair out of its bun. It falls loosely around your shoulders while you run your fingers through it in an attempt to get it to take another shape.

A small group wandered down the stairs. The security guard wandered closer to the terminal to keep an eye on them. Watching them, and eavesdropping on snippets of conversation eased your stupor. A pair tried to piece together what had happened and were crafting theories as to why and who had been akumatized. It was hard to smile to yourself and shake your head. They didn't know the half of it.

The platform shakes as the train emerges from the depths of the tunnel. It comes to a screeching halt and the door slide open. You linger on the platform as groups of people pass you by. One failed to notice you and narrowly skirts around. In the wake of them disappearing up the stairs and the others having gotten on, the platform felt eerily still.

You shift your bag higher on your shoulder and step into the train.

The car was relatively empty, apart from the couple from earlier still theory crafting and a young man in a bulky sweatshirt sitting in the corner on his phone. You decide against sitting as the doors slide shut and lean against a pole as the train jolts to a start.

The constant jostling of the car and the rather loud clack of the wheels on the track was enough to keep you from dozing off on the relatively short trip. The walk back to your apartment from the station was another story.

One of the bartenders on break commenting on your late return was enough to perk you up again. You stopped to have a little chat. They complained that it had been a slow night. You feigned ignorance on the subject, and tried to sound optimistic that things would pick up. They remained skeptical but you parted ways.

You never thought you could be so happy to walk up a couple flights of stairs, but by time you turned your key in the lock, most of the stress from the day had melted away. You kick off your shoes and accidentally slam the door shut.

You close your eyes for a moment, reveling in the silence. You envisioned the door behind you serving as a barrier between you and the outside world. Whatever happened out there for the rest of the night wasn't your problem. You weren't Gabriel's assistant, Mayura, or Adrien's caretaker. You were just Nathalie. And in the moment, Nathalie needed a drink and a bath.

You flick on the kitchen lights and work you way through your apartment in a familiar routine. Shoes by door. Bag on island. Hair down. Blazer off.

As much as you were tempted to throw things around some days, you knew you would only regret it later.

You flick the bathroom light on. At times the garrish pink coloring of it all threw you off, but you never hated it enough to try and renovate it. Even if it did look like something that belonged in your grandmothers house.

You slip the ancient plug into the drain and start running a mix of hot and cold water. After what felt like hours of starting into your linnen closet, you grab a pink bath bomb and dump a little rose body wash into the tub.

To the backdrop of rushing water you water your plants and round up something more comfortable to wear to bed. You made another mental note to do some pruning on your ivy, but you also knew you'd probably never get around to it until it was absurdly overgrown. Or your neighbors complained about it. They nitpicked about the strangest things, but they were getting up there so you were a little lenient with them.

You pour a generous glass of wine from the bottle in the fridge before going to check progress on the bath. You felt your brow furrow in annoyance as you test the water. _Too hot._

A sigh escapes you as you set the glass on the back of the toilet and head back into the living room. You wash the Tupperware containers you use for lunch and run a damp cloth over the top of your stove.

After double checking the front door was locked you flick the lights off and retreat back to the bathroom. Warm humid air wraps around you as you close the door back and strip down.

The water was still a lot hotter than you would have liked, but you could put up with it until you adjusted. You tried your hardest to let go of the days events, but you still couldn't get Adrien's face out of your head. Surely this wrong would come back with a vengeance, but it was hard to know when or how. You prayed things would sort themselves out before then, but there was no way of knowing. No amount of planning could predict what the future had in store. You hated not knowing. Cat Noir was out of the picture for now, but Ladybug was still a problem and you _knew_ she wouldn't allow herself to be taken down so easily.

You shake your head to yourself and take a deep breath. You allow the pink-tinted water to close over the top of your head.  _It's not your problem. Let Gabriel sort it out. You've done all you needed to._

 


	5. Chapter 5

The harder you tried to piece together what had happened last night, the more confused you became. You knew you didn't sneak out last night, but you were unusually sore, and you couldn't find your Miraculous anywhere. There was no way you wouldn't have been woken up by someone trying to take from you. But the more of a disaster area your room became, the more certain you were that something must have happened. Did Nathalie do something?

You didn't want to believe it yourself but, this was all too strange. She finds out your Cat Noir and hours later, presumably, your Miraculous is taken. Was she working with Hawkmoth? Why?

As you headed downstairs, your heart dropped when you realized Nathalie wasn't sitting at her desk. From the looks of it, she hadn't even gotten here yet. _But Nathalie is always here in the morning._

With the door to your father's office standing open, you felt a glimmer of hope that she could be in there, but it quickly faded. He was holding a few of his sketches up to the light, turning them this way and that before making a few minor changes here and there. “Father?”

“What is it Adrien?” He glances at the clock on the wall, then towards you. “Don't you have school?”

“Yes, I was just on my way out but, I wanted to ask Nathalie about my History paper.”

“I gave her the morning off, she'll be here later. It'll have to wait until after school.”

You nod reluctantly and slip out into the hall. Even if she was here, you were certain she'd only confirm your suspicions. What were you supposed to do? What about Ladybug? There was no way of telling her what had happened now... unless she already knew.

You didn't know what would be worse.

The more thought you put into it, the more certain you became that you'd probably never see her again. She had been so adamant that you don't know anything about each other. After you had managed to mess things up this badly, surely she would find someone else to be her partner. Or if she did want to see you, you weren't sure you could face her; not before you got to the bottom of all of this.

**~***~**

_It was easy to ignore all the chaos of the cafe behind you when Gabriel radiated such excitement. All the effort you had put in up until this point was finally paying off. Although you had hardly grasped a thing he had said the whole time you've been here._

_“...final stretch now Nathalie, and I have you to thank for that.” He smiles warmly and reaches across the table to clasp your hands in his own._

_The cafe slowly falls away around you to reveal the void beyond. Gabriel remained unaffected by the change around him, his smile darkened into something more sinister as Adrien's pained face flashed through your mind._

You jolt awake, and glance around your too bright bedroom. Sunlight was struggling to pierce through your curtains and the street outside sounded strangely alive. A glance at your dying phone showed it was a lot later than you had anticipated when you decided to not set your alarm. The only notification was a text from Gabriel saying you could take the day if you needed it.

As often as he tried to get you to take it easy, you never felt the need to take him up on the offer. Especially now. You couldn't remember the last time you had felt this refreshed. Plus you were almost certain Adrien would be suspicious of you. You wanted to try your best to smooth things over with him and see what Gabriel was going to do about the whole thing; if anything.

You run your fingers through your hair as you wander through your apartment. The sluggishness you felt melted away as you moved around and went through the motions of making breakfast. You didn't allow your thoughts to gravitate towards things currently out of you hands. Right now breakfast was the more important thing you could focus on. That and making sure there was nothing you needed to pick up before heading to work. But as per usual, Gabriel left you on read, and you were left to try and run through what might be needed. This time it was probably more because he'd rather you not come in at all.

You wouldn't quite say his worries were baseless, but you were fine. If anything, you felt more run down when he was calling attention to the fact that you had been doing a lot. Even at your worst there wasn't a moment in your mind when you doubted you wouldn't be able to persevere and see this through until the end.

 


End file.
